Gauri Khan – The first lady of Bollywood

How different can the family of a superstar be? Well, I had no clue. Although, not much of a star gazer, post my shifting to Mumbai, I have seen and happened to travel in the same flight as many celebrities.

One flight, the one I took on March 3 this year, was different in many ways. I was flying Business Class from New Delhi to Mumbai in a Jet Airways international service craft. While boarding, I saw the poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar walking aboard the flight. A celebrity boarding a Mumbai bound flight is not a big deal. It happens all the time. But it was different today.

We boarded the flight and made ourselves comfortable with the soft drinks, cold towels etc. While choosing a magazine from the choices of magazines on the tray that the air hostess was holding for me, I saw two kids and two ladies entering. I picked a magazine and looked up to observe the ladies, one of them, immediately after entering, got busy talking to Javed Akhtar. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she was Gauri Khan, yes, the first lady of Bollywood, the wife of Shah Rukh Khan (SRK). She was accompanied by her two children Aayan and Suhana along with her sister-in-law.

I had a preconceived notion about Gauri Khan. I assumed her to be very arrogant and snobbish in attitude. The notion was drawn from whatever I have seen on TV or read in the newspapers. After getting off the flight, I was ashamed of myself for drawing such a conclusion on someone without actually meeting or knowing the person. What I observed that day was that Gauri Khan was none of the things I thought/imagined her to be. She is a very nice lady. I also noticed that Gauri is a really good mother who takes care of her kids and is concerned about their comfort in the flight and spontaneously teaches them what to and not do in flight etc. She is beautiful and petit and has shining skin. Her hair was tied in a top knot and she was wearing a beautiful white satin long top over a pair of white linen three quarter pants.

I admired Gauri when I saw how nicely she managed her other family member, possibly her sister-in-law. This journey changed my perspective on our opinions on public figures drawn purely from media reports. My opinion on Gauri Khan has now changed completely. I admire her now for being this grounded human being, a good mother, a good wife and admire her equally for adjusting with her husband’s family. Kudos to her! My best wishes to Shah Rukh Khan and his lovely family. God bless!